Morsi seeks to defuse political crisis

Egypt's president Morsi seeks to defuse political crisis.Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi has called for consultations over a court ruling allowing the dissolution of Parliament. The move is seen as an attempt to prevent political turmoil after his failed attempt to reconvene the legislature.

The latest twist in a legal wrangle that masks a broader struggle for control of the Arab world's biggest nation that pits Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood against a military that was in charge for six decades and an establishment still filled with officials from the era of ousted President Hosni Mubarak."There will be consultations among all political forces, institutions and the supreme council of judicial authorities to find the best way out of this situation in order to overcome this stage together," Mursi's statement said.

The saga began when the Supreme Constitutional Court ruled on June 14, shortly before Mursi was elected, that the Islamist-led lower house was void and the then-ruling army dissolved it. The president recalled parliament this week but was slapped down in another court ruling hours after it convened on Tuesday.

Mursi's move had risked a showdown with the army, long used to having their man in charge. Previous presidents had all been drawn from military ranks and had for most of the time since the king was ousted in 1952 repressed the 84-year-old Brotherhood.

The United States, which hands Egypt's army a $1.3 billion subsidy each year, had urged dialogue to end the row.According to his statement, Mursi said he was "committed to the rulings of Egyptian judges and very keen to manage state powers and prevent any confrontation".

For many Egyptians, though, the stand-off threatens further uncertainty that has plagued the nation since Mubarak was toppled by mass protests in February 2011, sending the economy into a slump and tipping many deeper into poverty.

The Brotherhood also faces anger from liberals and others, frustrated by what they see as a power grab by Islamists, the biggest political beneficiaries of the uprising against Mubarak. They have accused Mursi of riding roughshod over the judiciary.

Presidential spokesman Yasser Ali, in a comment on the statement, said Mursi wanted to "find a way out of the legislative vacuum caused by the dissolution of parliament".
He said the "problem was not bringing back this (existing) parliament" but added it did not make sense, from a constitutional point of view, to hand legislative power to the military. Mursi, when he recalled parliament, also said new elections would be held once a constitution was in place.
Last month, the country's military council dissolved parliament based on a ruling by the Supreme Constitutional Court.The new president reconvened parliament earlier this week, but the court delivered another ruling invalidating his decree.

In a statement on Wednesday, Morsi said he was committed to the rulings of Egyptian judges. He called for consultations with all political forces, institutions and the judiciary to find a solution to the crisis.Supporters of both the president and the constitutional court have staged massive demonstrations in Cairo over the issue.